ARBITRARY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for ARBITRARY?

Need another word that means the same as “arbitrary”? Find 20 synonyms and 30 related words for “arbitrary” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Arbitrary” are: capricious, whimsical, random, chance, erratic, unpredictable, inconsistent, wild, haphazard, casual, despotic, tyrannical, tyrannous, peremptory, summary, autocratic, dictatorial, authoritarian, draconian, autarchic

Arbitrary as an Adjective

Definitions of "Arbitrary" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “arbitrary” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
• (of power or a ruling body) unrestrained and autocratic in the use of authority.
• Based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice.
• (of a constant or other quantity) of unspecified value.

Synonyms of "Arbitrary" as an adjective (20 Words)

autarchic	Of or relating to or characterized by autarchy.
authoritarian	Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty. He had an authoritarian and at times belligerent manner.
autocratic	Offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power. An autocratic person.
capricious	Determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason. A capricious refusal.
casual	Occurring from time to time. A casual short sleeved shirt.
chance	Occurring or appearing or singled out by chance. A chance meeting.
despotic	Ruled by or characteristic of a despot. His administration was arrogant and despotic.
dictatorial	Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty. His mother in law was somewhat dictatorial.
draconian	(of laws or their application) excessively harsh and severe. The Nazis destroyed the independence of the press by a series of draconian laws.
erratic	Likely to perform unpredictably. Erratic winds are the bane of a sailor.
haphazard	Dependent upon or characterized by chance. A most haphazard system of record keeping.
inconsistent	Displaying a lack of consistency. He had done nothing inconsistent with his morality.
peremptory	Not allowing contradiction or refusal. Spoke in peremptory tones.
random	Unfamiliar or unspecified. The class was hard but he was so random that it was always fun.
summary	Not including needless details or formalities; brief. Summary arrest.
tyrannical	Characteristic of tyranny; oppressive and controlling. A tyrannical parent.
tyrannous	Marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior. A tyrannous disregard for the welfare of the workers.
unpredictable	Unknown in advance. An unpredictable or indeterminable future.
whimsical	Determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason. The victim of whimsical persecutions.
wild	Produced from wild animals or plants without cultivation. Wild tribes.

Usage Examples of "Arbitrary" as an adjective

• Arbitrary division of the group into halves.
• An arbitrary choice.
• Of arbitrary size and shape.
• The arbitrary rule of a dictator.
• An arbitrary decision.
• An arbitrary penalty.
• A country under arbitrary government.

Associations of "Arbitrary" (30 Words)

arbitrarily	In a random manner. Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained.
arrhythmic	Not rhythmic; without rhythm or regularity. An arrhythmic heartbeat.
assigned	Appointed to a post or duty. Assigned duties.
careless	Without due thought or consideration. Careless proofreading.
cursory	Hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough. A cursory glance at the figures.
discretionary	Denoting or relating to investment funds placed with a broker or manager who has discretion to invest them on the client’s behalf. Discretionary income.
haphazard	Marked by great carelessness. A most haphazard system of record keeping.
haphazardly	Without care; in a slapdash manner. A hodgepodge of family photos haphazardly arranged on a table.
hasty	Excessively quick. Hasty decisions.
headlong	Extremely or recklessly hasty. A headlong rush to sell.
hurried	Done in a hurry; rushed. A hurried job.
impetuosity	Rash impulsiveness.
impetuous	Moving forcefully or rapidly. Impetuous heaving waves.
impulsive	Acting as an impulse. Liable to such impulsive acts as hugging strangers.
indiscriminate	Done at random or without careful judgement. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics can cause problems.
indiscriminately	In a random manner. People who are sedentary and who eat indiscriminately.
madcap	Amusingly eccentric. Madcap escapades.
perfunctorily	In a set manner without serious attention. He kissed her cheek perfunctorily.
precipitant	A cause or stimulus which precipitates a particular condition. The immediate precipitants of the conflict.
random	(of masonry) with stones of irregular size and shape. Some randoms in the crowd asked Ivan Ljubicic to take a photo for them.
randomize	Arrange in random order. You can randomize the ingredients with the tap of a button.
randomly	In a random manner. I randomly split the ironing into two piles.
rashly	Without careful consideration of the possible consequences; impetuously. He rashly promised crime would fall sharply by September.
rushed	Done or completed too hurriedly; hasty. A rushed job.
slapdash	Hurriedly and carelessly. Slapdash work.
slipshod	Marked by great carelessness. Slipshod spelling.
spasmodic	Occurring or done in brief, irregular bursts. Spasmodic fighting continued.
swift	A swift flying insectivorous bird with long slender wings and a superficial resemblance to a swallow spending most of its life on the wing. The water was very swift.
unjustified	Not shown to be right or reasonable. Unjustified price increases.
unpredictable	Not capable of being foretold. The unpredictable weather of the Scottish islands.